What Design Makes for a Great High School Outdoor Space?
– and how do we design with the students, not just for them.
Woodcroft College SA Wellbeing Garden by Swanbury Penglase. Credit: Brad Griffin
A two year research project is underway to help inform the development of a Schoolyard Greenprint Guide for design professionals and school communities.
The project is led by Dr Gweneth Leigh, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Mental Health Policy Unit at the University of Canberra’s Health Research Institute. Funding is through Hort Innovations’ Frontiers program, with co-investment from the Landscape Foundation Australia (LFA), and contributions from the Australian Government.
The research asks two questions: – How can schoolyards be designed to improve adolescents’ wellbeing? – What evidence and guidance do designers and school leaders in Australia need to improve schoolyard design?
Researchers will gather insights directly from students, educators and designers to shape future high school environments. At the heart of this work is student voice – a diverse group of young people are co-researchers, providing valuable feedback on how outdoor spaces can better support their wellbeing, learning and connection.
Disused Urban Space: Not all public spaces need a master plan
Locals have embraced a small patch of land in a railway reserve near Dennis Station in Northcote, Melbourne. Credit: Hugh Stanford
Cities worldwide are brimming with overlooked green spaces – from disused railway lines to stormwater drains and vacant lots. These informal areas can boost biodiversity, assist with urban cooling and offer exploration and connection with nature.
Writing for The Conversation, Hugh Stanford shares insights into his research with RMIT, outlining three ways local councils can unlock the potential of these spaces.
Hands off: This approach allows nature and communities to organically transform these areas, leading to ecologically rich and creative outcomes.
Helping out: Support existing informal initiatives like guerrilla gardens and pop-up parks. Councils can empower residents, bringing life to underused land at minimal cost.
Stepping in: Formalising these spaces into parks or public areas, especially when dealing with contamination or invasive weeds. Examples Stanford uses include a converted railway line in Paris and a disused sewer main in Melbourne, both leading to significant public benefits.
Stanford urges planners and local governments to resist over-controlling these spaces, and instead support and leverage what already exists. He encourages residents to engage with green spaces, and look for opportunities to create their own urban oases.
Street Furniture Australia’s entire product range and manufacturing operation has received carbon neutral certification through Climate Active™. Achieving carbon neutral certification marks a significant milestone in our operation and the culmination of a four year long process of detailed measurement and analysis. Climate Active™ is the only Australian government-backed carbon neutral certification programme for businesses to measure, reduce, and offsets their carbon emissions. It is one of the most rigorous carbon-neutral programs in the world. An approved Emissions Reduction Strategy (ERS) is central to achieving certification through Climate Active. Street Furniture Australia has elected to use SBTi validated science-based targets to ensure their ERS is meaningful and aligns with the 2015 Paris Agreement – to limit global temperature rises to 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels. For those emissions that can’t be …
Linea Bin is the newest addition to Street Furniture Australia’s minimalist Linea range. Built from stainless steel for strength, durability and a refined aesthetic, it has been thoughtfully designed with input from landscape architects and waste managers to deliver hygiene, accessibility and sustainability in the public realm. Built to LastA robust stainless steel frame and panel system ensures Linea Bin performs in high-traffic environments. A full-height stainless steel 316 piano hinge and splash tray provide exceptional strength, hygiene and corrosion resistance, withstanding daily impacts from trolleys and cleaning equipment. “Durability was paramount,” says Pearson Bulmer, Senior Industrial Designer at Street Furniture Australia. “Every detail needed to perform in the public realm for years to come – but also be designed for disassembly so parts can be repaired, replaced or recycled …
With the look and feel of natural timber, backed by 12 months of performance testing for the public realm, engineered wood joins Street Furniture Australia’s selection of batten materials. Designers and place custodians can now choose from three batten options to achieve a timber look: natural Spotted Gum hardwood, low maintenance aluminium Wood Without Worry, and engineered wood known as Onewood HRT. See our Engineered Wood: Onewood HRT brochure or book a presentation. What is engineered wood?Onewood HRT (Homogeneous Reconstituted Timber) is a solid engineered timber, made from fast-growing FSC certified poplar and eucalyptus fibres that are compressed under heat and pressure with a resin binder. It is solid throughout with an organic grain and, like real hardwood, can be sanded to refresh. Street Furniture Australia partners with a Singapore-based …
